Ben
Extremely concerning experience with NBB Waldrons
I have used Waldrons on several occasions over a number of years, but following my experience with a recent commercial property purchase, I will not use this firm again. I am writing this review based entirely on my own experience and the extensive written correspondence I hold. I have now submitted a formal complaint and am taking independent advice regarding the handling of the matter, including whether aspects of it amount to professional negligence. This was not, in my experience, one isolated mistake. It was a repeated pattern of poor communication, inadequate internal handover, missed requirements and a lack of ownership which ultimately destroyed my confidence in the firm. One of the most concerning issues involved the handling of my lender's requirements. The lender's solicitors originally sent their instructions and requirements to Waldrons in early July. The solicitor originally dealing with the matter subsequently left the firm. More than a month later, correspondence shows that the replacement solicitor was still having to ask the lender's solicitors to resend the facility letter and other documentation because he had not received it. In my opinion, that raises serious concerns about the firm's internal handover and management of a live, time-sensitive commercial transaction. Matters became worse when I attended Waldrons' office for the independent legal advice and personal guarantee requirements connected with the finance. Despite attending with the identification documents I had been asked to bring, the required ID verification and certification was not completed. Waldrons subsequently acknowledged this in writing and confirmed that I would have needed to attend their offices again. The firm also offered a 50% reduction in the fee for that work. I do not suggest that this amounts to a formal admission of professional negligence, but in my view it is a clear acknowledgment by the firm that the service provided on that occasion had fallen short. By this stage, I was repeatedly having to chase for updates and trying to establish what had actually been completed, what remained outstanding and when the transaction could realistically proceed. What concerned me most was the apparent lack of anyone taking overall responsibility for the matter. Different aspects appeared to be handled by different people, and when problems arose I found myself having to repeatedly chase for information that I would reasonably have expected the solicitors handling the transaction to have control of. I eventually escalated matters to senior management and submitted a formal complaint. Following that escalation, Waldrons informed me that they were terminating the independent legal advice retainer and giving notice that they would cease acting on the commercial property transaction. The firm stated that this was not because I had complained, but because the relationship of trust and confidence had broken down. I am now having to move a live commercial property transaction to another firm, with replacement solicitors having to review the file, understand the lender's requirements and establish what work remains outstanding. To be completely clear, Waldrons' formal complaints investigation is still ongoing, so I am not presenting its outcome as already determined. Nor am I stating as a legal fact that professional negligence has been established. I am taking independent advice on that separately. What I can say without hesitation is that, based on my personal experience, the standard of service I received was completely unacceptable for a regulated professional firm handling an important commercial property transaction. What makes the experience particularly concerning to me is the accumulation of issues rather than one individual mistake: problems with the internal handover, lender documentation apparently not reaching the replacement solicitor, repeated chasing for progress, an appointment that failed to complete an important lender requirement, the firm's subsequent written acknowledgment of that failure, and ultimately having to move the entire transaction elsewhere. I have retained the email correspondence supporting the chronology of events described above. I would strongly encourage anyone considering instructing this firm for a commercial property transaction to ask very clear questions at the outset about who has overall responsibility for the file, what happens if the person handling the matter leaves or becomes unavailable, how lender requirements are tracked, and what supervision is in place. Having previously used Waldrons on a number of occasions, I am extremely disappointed that my experience has ended this way. I will update this review once the firm's formal complaints process has concluded and, if appropriate, once any external complaint or independent professional negligence advice has reached an outcome.
